The Producer Incentive Program Checklist: 12 Things You Need Before You Pay Your First Grower

Paying growers sounds simple until you're the one sending the check. This one-page checklist walks program administrators through the 12 things to lock down before that first payment goes out, covering eligibility, verification, payment logistics, and reporting. It's the kind of list you wish someone had handed you before your first payment cycle.

• Eligibility and enrollment need to be nailed down before you open applications, not figured out after duplicate or ineligible growers slip through.
• Verification and payment details (geotagged photos, banking info, disbursement tracking) have to be consistent and centralized, not scattered across someone's inbox or a shared spreadsheet.
• Every payment needs a paper trail. If you can't tie a check to its eligibility and verification evidence, your funder or auditor will notice before you do.